What to shoot for?

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What to shoot for?

by changingcourse » Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:17 pm
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24 (will be 26 about 3 weeks after matriculating)
BA in Psychology and French (2006) (3.01 GPA) from State University of NY
MS in Psychology (2007) (3.1 GPA) from small school in philly (USP)

14 months of work experience (31 months at matriculation) as a counselor/social worker with at-risk youth

Quant courses: undergrad statistics, research methods in social science (small quant work) graduate statistics I & II.


I've decided not to take additional quant courses (financial reasons). What score should I aim for on the gmat (overall, and quant) to have a good chance at getting in at mid to low tier 1 school and lower?

I'm keeping in mind that there's a lot more than those things when adcoms look at each candidate but for now i'm focused on these raw scores
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by Lisa Anderson » Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:40 pm
Dear changingcourse,

Schools considered "tier 1" by most rankings will generally have GMAT averages in the upper 600's or in the 700's. Ideally, you want to be above the average for your target schools for the most competitive position. Since decisions are not just based on GMAT/GPA, you might still gain admission with a score below the average, but you want to be in the mid 50% range. This range will probably have a floor around 640-670 depending on the school. Thus you want to shoot for 650+, higher is better.

Good luck,
Lisa
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by changingcourse » Mon Apr 13, 2009 7:46 am
Thanks Lisa! I guess i'll be shooting for 700+ :)